Tune_Progressions_Handbook.pdf

7/25/2019 Tune_Progressions_Handbook.pdf

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HOW TO:LEARN A TUNE’S CHORD PROGRESSION

S T R A I G H T F R O M T H E R E C O R D I N G

A HAN D BOO K B Y



Let’s get started…Welcome

IT TAKES TIME

WHY IS LEARNING CHANGES STRAIGHTOFF A RECORDING DIFFICULT?

It’s not easy to learn the chord changes to a tune straight from the recording. And

it takes a lot of time. Chances are you’ll struggle a little bit at some points, but it’sexactly this struggle that will help you grow as a musician, improve your ear, andhelp you memorize the changes permanently.

IT’S REALLY EASY TO LOOK UP THE CHORDS IN A FAKE BOOKIt’s tempting just to look up the chords in a fake book. Unfortunately, many timesthey’re wrong, or they’re missing subtle details that will help you conceptualize the

tune in a deeper way.But the BIGGEST MISTAKE is that learning chords from a fake book does notcreate a VIVID memory of the chord changes and you just end up forgetting thechanges in the future, so essentially it’s time wasted. To create a vivid memory ofthe chord changes that stays with you permanently, you need to spend time withthe actual sounds of the chords, and to study and decipher them for yourself.

YOU DON’T HAVE A CLEAR PROCESS OR KNOW WHERE TO STARTAnd that’s EXACTLY what this handbook will show you…

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Enjoy !



High-Level Listening

FIND 3 RECORDINGS

OF A TUNE YOU WANT

TO LEARN

Step 1

Listen to the recordingsover and over. Sing alongwith them. IMPLANT thetune in your mind…

WHAT’S THE FORM OF THE TUNE?

WHAT’S THE HARMONIC RHYTHM?

WHAT ARE THE PRIMARY KEY CENTERS?

THEN, ANSWER THESE 3 QUESTIONS…

1

2

3

The form of a tune is a quick way of denoting which sections repeat. The mostcommon form is AABA, meaning the “A” section repeats twice, then there’s the “B”section known as “The Bridge,” and then the A section is repeated again. Alsodetermine how long each section is and the total number of bars in the tune.

The harmonic rhythm is how long each chord lasts before it changes to the next

chord. Most tunes stick to one harmonic rhythm throughout the entireprogression, while occasionally halving or doubling it at some places in the harmony.

Sit at the piano or with your instrument and aim to quickly hear if the tune isin a major key or a minor key. What key is it in? Then, assuming it’s AABAlisten to the bridge and determine the key of the bridge. Some tunes have

multiple “key centers” within each section, so be aware that there could bemultiple keys to take into account within each section.



“A” section bass line

Pick your favorite

recording and ZERO

IN ON THE BASS LINE

Step 2

Put the tune into transcribingsoftware , and loop the “A”section. Slow it down to 50%.

JOT DOWN EVERY NOTE NAME THAT OCCURS ON BEATS 1 AND 3

DETERMINE THE LOGIC OF THE BASS LINE

MAKE LOGICAL GUESSES FOR QUALITIES AND INVERSIONS

THEN, AS YOU LISTEN TO THE BASS LINE…

1

2

3

Sit at the piano and literally write down the note name, l ike “C” or “F” of every note thatoccurs on 1 and 3. Write it in a way that denotes the measures as well. In general, thesenotes are the roots of the chords. As you do this more, you’ll be able to hear the chordfunction and/or the interval relationship between surrounding chords, so you won’t needto write anything down. But for starters with bass lines, this process really helps.

There’s no reason that you can’t apply your theoretical knowledge here. In general,

chords progress in a way that makes LOGICAL sense. Things like Cycle movement, half-steps, and whole-steps. If there’s a spot that does not make logical sense to you circle itfor further investigation later.

Again, use your knowledge of how you know chords progress to make EDUCATEDguesses. If you see “A” “D” “G” it’s highly likely that the qualities are “A minor” “D7” “Gmajor.” Next, look at those spots you circled from before. If the bass line doesn’t makelogical sense, it’s likely an INVERSION. What 3rd, 5th or other chord-tone of what specific

chord could it be?

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The First Chord Quality

Pick your favorite

recording and ZERO

IN ON THE COMPING

Step 3

Find a place where the compinginstrument clearly plays the firstchord. Loop it in your transcribinsoftware and slow it to 50%.

LISTEN TO THE CHORD VOICING. IS THE 3RD MAJOR OR MINOR?

WHAT KIND OF 7TH IS IN THE VOICING?


THEN, AS YOU LISTEN TO THE FIRST CHORD…

1

2

3

It has to be one of these, unless there’s no 3rd in the chord. It’s common for suschords to be voiced without a third.

Is it major, minor, or diminished.?

Is it a perfect 5th, a b5, or a #5?

The “comping instrument” isthe one playing the chords,usually piano or guitar

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WHAT OTHER NOTES ARE IN THE CHORD VOICING?4Write out all the notes in order that occur in the chord voicing. Then, check yourdiscovery against the educated guess you made before. Do they match? Listen tothe chord again and make sure you heard everything correctly.



Understanding Bass NotesA brief intermission

THE NOTE THEBASS IS PLAYING

It’s the ROOTof the chord

MOST of the time… BUT SOMETIMES…

The note the bass playeris playing could be the

3rd, the 5th, or anyother chord-tone

This is called anINVERSION and it’s usedto make interesting orsmooth root motionbetween each chord

Use your ear and applyyour theoreticalknowledge to understandwhat chord-tone the bassplayer is playing if it’s notthe root.

REMEMBER, chordprogressions aregenerally structured andthere’s some sort ofunderlying logic to them.Apply this notion whendetermining if a chord isinverted.



Understanding Chord QualitiesA brief intermission

Is the 3rd Major or Minor?

Is the 7th Major or Minor?

Is the 5th Perfect or b5?

Major 3rd

Major 7th

Minor 3rd

Minor 7th Major 7th Minor 7th

Perf

What other chord-tones are in the chord voicing?

Listen for alterations (b5, #5, b9, #9)and upper chord-tones (9, 11, 13)

MAJOR 7 CHORD

DOMINANT 7 CHORD

MINOR 7 CHORDHALF DIMINISHED 7 CHORD

PerfPerf

MINOR MAJOR 7 CHORD

Perfb5

OBVIOUSLY these are just the basics, but they are the FOUNDATION of the chord.

SO NOW, figure out…

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“A” Section Chord Qualities

Pick your favorite

recording and ZERO

IN ON THE COMPING

Step 4

Find a place where the compinginstrument clearly plays the NEXTchord. Loop it in your transcribinsoftware and slow it to 50%.

REPEAT THE STEPS FROM THE LAST PAGE FOR EACH CHORD

LISTEN TO THE NEXT CHORD…

1 The more you do this process, the less you’ll have to isolate each chord becauseyou’ll be able to hear the chord qualities more easily. Still, pulling apart every note ina chord voicing is great for your ear and harmonic understanding . It’s s veryimportant step and if you want to dive deeper in this direction, check outour premium course, The Ear Training Method.

ZERO IN A TRICKY SPOTS2No matter how advanced you get, there will always be spots that give you trouble.Zero in on these and figure them out. As said before, it’s likely that if the bass linedoesn’t move in a predictable way, then it’s probably a chord inversion. Simplydetermine what chord-tone the bass note is and voila, you have your chord.

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“B” section bass line

Pick your favorite

recording and ZERO

IN ON THE BASS LINE

Step 5

Put the tune into transcribingsoftware, and loop the “B”section. Slow it down to 50%.

JOT DOWN EVERY NOTE NAME THAT OCCURS ON BEATS 1 AND 3

DETERMINE THE LOGIC OF THE BASS LINE

MAKE LOGICAL GUESSES FOR QUALITIES AND INVERSIONS

THEN, AS YOU LISTEN TO THE BASS LINE…

1

2

3

Just as you did this with the “A” section, do this with the “B” section and any othersections of the tune. Given a reference note, aim to hear the chord function and/orintervalic relationships occurring rather than just finding the note on the piano. Use thepiano to check the guesses you’re making.

Again, progressions are structured in some sort of logical way. Circle anything that’s notmoving in a predictable way because chances are these will be the tricky spots later.

Don’t skip this step! It’s important throughout this entire process to attempt to figurethings out using your ear and your mind BEFORE you check if you’re correct with thepiano. Also, by having an educated guess in your mind, you’ll have something to compare toand you can think to yourself something like, “Wait a minute, that doesn’t sound like minor.”



“B” Section Chord Qualities

Pick your favorite

recording and ZERO

IN ON THE COMPING

Step 6

Find a place where the compinginstrument clearly plays the EACHchord. Loop it in your transcribinsoftware and slow it to 50%.

LISTEN TO THE CHORD VOICING. IS THE 3RD MAJOR OR MINOR?



THEN, AS YOU LISTEN TO EACH CHORD…

1

2

3

It has to be one of these, unless there’s no 3rd in the chord.

Is it major, minor, or diminished.?

Is it a perfect 5th, a b5, or a #5?

WHAT OTHER NOTES ARE IN THE CHORD VOICING?4Write out all the notes in the order they occur in the chord voicing. Then, checkyour discovery against the educated guess you made before. Do they match?Listen to the chord again and make sure you heard everything correctly.

IF YOU’RE HAVING TROUBLE…5You can always go to the next chorus where perhaps the comping instrument plays thechord more clearly, or transcribe what the soloist is playing, or you can even go to oneof the other recordings. There are ALWAYS ways to figure it out. Don’t give up!



Review and Check

Now Listen to all 3

recordings with your

chords in mind

Step 7

Loop each recording inyour transcribing softwareand slow it to 75%.

DOES THE BASS MOTION SOUND CORRECT?

DO THE CHORD QUALITIES SOUND CORRECT?

ARE YOU MISSING ANY DETAILS?

AS YOU LISTEN TO EACH RECORDING…

1

2

3

Double-check to make sure you got the bass line right.

Double-check to make sure you got the chord qualities right.

Are there little bass walk downs or chords you’re missing? Are there alterationslike #9 or b9 on dominant chords you’re missing? Listen closely and make sure yougot all the little pieces of aural information.

KEEP GOING AND DON’T GIVE UP4If you went through this process, CONGRATULATIONS! It’s by no means easy butover time it does get less difficult. And each time, you’ll learn a ton, so stay positive

and keep at it!



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Tune_Progressions_Handbook.pdf

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